The Writers' Network! discussion

I feel that .99 is way too low for any book, unless it's a novella or short story. I price my sequels at 2.99 each but my other books are at 4.99

I do this based off of my own buying habits. I read an enormous amount on my kindle and I never buy anything under 2.99. If I see a book priced lower than that I think to myself "they must be trying to give this away." I figure you get what you pay for when it comes to anything really, books included.

I quit buying 99 cent books because they weren't proofread or edited. Even some of the 2.99 books were not edited properly. I carefully read "inside" the books now before buying, to make sure the author cares enough to at least make sure his book is decently edited.

I stopped buying the .99 ones as well. I think that anywhere between 1.99 to 6.99, depending on the size of book and quality, is a good price range.

Although normally if I pay over 4.99 for a book, it is for a paperback or hardcover. I will not pay more than that for an ebook. (I'm picky.)

All the above is very interesting to me. I did pay for professional editing, but since I'm new to publishing and trying to build a following, I initially set my book at 99 cents. I raised it to 1.99 after a few months and that is where it is now. Now you are making me wonder if I should go for 2.99?

Hmmm...actually this is very interesting for me to hear, too. I'm torn right now about the pricing for my book

It's currently set at $2.99, but I was considering going the .99 cent route when I get out of KDP Select because I've heard a lot of positive comments on how well that price point sells books. Then again, when pricing the paperback version, I did some research and went with a price that undercuts many similar types of books, while still not making it too cheap, for fear that people would assume it isn't any good. Why I'm not using that same philosophy for the kindle version, I'm not sure. I want to interest people in the book enough to make them want to pick it up. Too high and I might scare them away...too low, and I might color their impression before they even glance at the preview.

What's everybody's take on that?

Well, I'm certainly not opposed to a higher commission. Lol. Guess I'll give 2.99 a try.

Has anyone tried the free days through amazon? Not sure, but I had heard that this isn't going to be around for much longer. It could be a rumor but I was told by someone that it doesn't help with actual sales. I've also heard from others that it does help with sales. I've done the free days before and have some set up for February (one book each weekend for free) but I've never noticed an increase in sales afterwards. Is it possible that offering books free is much like pricing too low?

Has anyone else tried the free promotion and had an increase in sales? Or did you find that your book went way back up to #500,000 in the best sellers list like mine did immediately after the free days? Just curious...

Okay, I must ask. What is a review initiative? (And I agree, I gave away many copies for free, got a few reviews and maybe some fans, but paid sales? Maybe 10?)

It does sound interesting, William! I look forward to seeing your idea. :)